24. October 2013
Billie Joe Armstrong & Norah Jones Do Up Everly Brothers
 |
| Everly Brothers – “Songs Our Daddy Taught Us’ OUT NOW |
By Walter Price
Way back in 1958 The Everly Brothers released what was essentially a covers album called Songs Our Daddy Taught Us.
Way back in 1958 The Everly Brothers released what was essentially a covers album called Songs Our Daddy Taught Us.
They put their mark on classics by Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, Charlie Monroe and more. Kind of an odd album to put out on your sophomore go when you’re one of the hottest acts around at the time.
But the Rock Hall of Famers did and it has always been one of my faves of the Everly’s vast and mega successful career.
I spent many a night laying on my bedroom floor under my red light-bulbed lamp pondering my young life and dreaming of grand whatevers. Oh the memories…
Now it seems famed rockologist and Green Day frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong has teamed up with Norah Jones, I kid you not, to record an album ‘inspired by’ Songs Our Daddy Taught Us called Foreverly. Damn catchy title for sure!
At first I thought this is a joke but, no sir, it’s as real as butter on toast and from what little I have been able to hear from it, WOW, you will not believe your ears…
BJA & NJ spoke to Stereogum.com in length about the project and it sounds like they have legit feelings and reasons for doing it. Dig It!
Check out these quotes from the Q&A:
“It all started with Stevie Wonder. [laughter] We sang together with Stevie Wonder and his band and a whole bunch of people, that’s how Norah and I first met. Then … well, I got into the Everly Brothers’ record a couple years ago and I thought it was just beautiful. I was listening to it every morning for a while off and on. I thought it would be cool to remake the record because I thought it was sort of an obscure thing and more people should know about it, but I really wanted to do it with a woman singing because I thought it would take on a different meaning — maybe broaden the meaning a little bit — as compared to hearing the songs being sung by the two brothers. And so my wife said, “Why don’t you get Norah Jones to do it?” and I was like, “Well, I kinda know her.” Well, I mean, we had Stevie Wonder in common. And so I called her and she said yes. So it was kinda like a … well, I keep saying it was kinda like a blind date.” – Billy Joe Armstrong
“I was familiar with some of it. I wasn’t familiar with that entire record specifically, but I knew a lot of those songs and a lot of those recordings. I was kinda a huge Everly Brothers fan growing up — so I knew the Everly Brothers’ stuff — but mostly the more popular stuff. So I listened to the record a bunch and then when we were talking it just sounded so fun — and Billie Joe, you’re such an enthusiastic person, you totally sold me in three minutes. At the time I had just gotten off tour and I was kinda tired, and I didn’t know how I felt about jumping into making a whole record just then but it was pretty short and sweet, actually.” – Norah Jones
Please read the full Stereogum interview, here!
So, this does sound like a very interesting project indeed. We’ll have to wait until 25 November 2013 to catch the full deal. But if the track Long Time Gone is any indication, it should be a full-on dandy ear treat…
For all things Everly Brothers, click here!
For all things Norah Jones, click here!